For Immediate Release

Thursday, June 13, 2019

Contact: Benjamin Paulin
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: ben@jgpr.net

East Bridgewater Police Department Hosts R.A.D. Training at High School

EAST BRIDGEWATER — Chief Scott Allen is pleased to announce that the East Bridgewater Police Department successfully hosted its first-ever Rape Aggression and Defense (R.A.D.) class for female high school seniors that concluded this week.

Twelve high school seniors completed the 12-hour course at East Bridgewater Jr./Sr. High School. The last of five classes was held on Tuesday, June 11.

East Bridgewater Police School Resource Officers Cecelia Cacciatore and Tallitha Connor, who are both certified R.A.D. instructors, led the women-only class, which featured classroom discussion and self-defense techniques for women of all abilities. The instructors focused on risk awareness and avoidance.

“Being proactive and taking the initiative to learn self-defense says a lot about a woman and that’s why I strongly encourage women to reach out to us if they would like to take the class,” Officer Cacciatore said. “The best advice I can give to women to protect themselves is to be confident and use their voice when they are in an uncomfortable situation. The more aware they are of their surroundings and the more they develop plans for those scary ‘what if’ moments, the better chance they have to survive an attack.”

On the last day of class, students were given the opportunity to utilize the skills they learned and participate in voluntary dynamic training scenarios designed to represent realistic encounters that require avoiding confrontation, escaping from a scene, or defending from a physical attack.

After completing the course, one of the instructors signed the manuals that were given to the students to signify they had successfully finished the program.

“Officer Cacciatore and Officer Connor did a fantastic job teaching the R.A.D. course and educating some of our town’s young women about ways they can protect themselves before they head off to college or the workforce,” Chief Allen said. “This R.A.D. course was another example of the innovative collaboration between
the police department and East Bridgewater School District, bringing a multitude
of initiatives and resources to our student population.”

Since the EBPD R.A.D. course was completed, Officer Cacciatore has already been contacted by numerous residents, mothers and students who would like to participate in a future class. Officer Cacciatore will be working to setup another R.A.D. session and the course will be announced once the details are finalized.

The R.A.D. curriculum is taught at colleges, universities, municipal law enforcement agencies and various community organizations internationally. To date, more than 900,000 women have participated in the program since its inception in 1989.

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